| With only five days to go before the LSU football team closes the regular season with its contest with Texas A&M, the school's coaching search could be moving from the backburner to the front. Now hold on. There's no white smoke just yet, but Advocate columnist Scott Rabalais suggests in a column that former Tigers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda may be gaining some momentum if he indeed wants to take on the challenge. Aranda, who led the LSU defense from 2016-19, has been Baylor's head coach for the past two seasons. Rabalais points out that while he's only 11-9 as a head coach, Aranda could fit the bill despite a small sample size. LSU may have to act quickly, though, if Aranda is atop Athletic Director Scott Woodward's list. Rabalais notes that Aranda, a native of the West Coast, could be courted by Southern Ca and Washington as well if he wants to try his luck against the Pac-12. Meanwhile, Will Wade's basketball team was at it again Monday night. LSU won its fifth game in a row to start the season when the Tigers clubbed Belmont 83-53 after a slow start. Reigning Southeastern Conference player of the week Darius Days had a subpar night with just nine points. But LSU put four players in double digits for the fourth time in five in five games and won going away. Also, coach Kim Mulkey's Tigers will be back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday when they host Tulane and Moon Ursin, who played for Mulkey at Baylor. Ursin, a Louisiana native, almost followed Mulkey to Baton Rouge, but instead followed her original plan enroll in nursing school at Tulane. At his final weekly news conference Monday, Ed Orgeron noted that he won't come to the realization he's coached his final home game at LSU on Saturday night until after the game in order to focus on preparing his team. Giving the seniors a memorable ending to their careers, he said, will be his priority until the curtain comes down on his dream job. Also, All-American cornerback Eli Ricks is apparently going to enter the transfer portal. Orgeron said he had seen the report by multiple news outlets but hadn't talked to Ricks, who has been sidelined since being sidelined for the season last month with a shoulder injury. And, on a brighter note, Tigers senior Damone Clark was named Monday as one of six finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top linebacker. If you’re not a subscriber, please come join us. We'll keep you updated on the latest news at LSU. This coaching search is sure to produce an intriguing couple of weeks. Thanks for reading, Sheldon Mickles | 
